‘Cardiac ‘Cats’ defeat Lady Hawks

Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats coach Kerra Jackson doesn’t even know what she is going to get with her team.

Robert Holder

Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats coach Kerra Jackson doesn’t even know what she is going to get with her team.

All she knows is don’t count them out until the final horn.

The “Cardiac ‘Cats” did it again Monday night, going down 11-0 to start the game versus rival Hardin Valley only to come away with a 57-49 win in the District 3-AAA consolation game.

“You don’t ever know what you are going to get with us,” coach Jackson said. “It keeps me on my toes and coming back for more.”

The win puts Oak Ridge as the No. 3-seed in the Region 2-AAA tournament set to begin Friday. The Lady Wildcats will travel to the No. 2-seed from District 4-AAA, Bearden for a 7 p.m. start.

With starters Kendra Holmes and Caitlyn Ledden starting the game on the bench with an illness, the Lady Wildcats watched as the Lady Hawks raced to an 11-0 lead to start the game. After a timeout, Holmes went in and scored nine of Oak Ridge’s next 15 points to take a 15-14 lead early in the second quarter.

“She came in and gave us a big spark,” coach Jackson said. “She hit some great shots in the lane and Whitney (Mitchell) hit her with some great passes.”

Oak Ridge (16-13) stretched the lead to seven midway through the second but a 3-pointer from Hardin Valley (20-10) cut the lead to three at the break.

The Lady Wildcats would give up the lead only once in the fourth. With less than two and half minutes to play, Kristin Lane got a basket for HVA, but a pair of free throws by Mitchell followed by a block, rebound and an outlet pass by the senior to Holmes for a three-point play kept the Lady Hawks at bay.

Oak Ridge shot a season-high 51 percent from the field and got offensive production from the supporting cast. Holmes had 20 to lead all scorers. Mitchell had 18 but Ledden added seven and Asia Anderson chipped in eight.

“We really played like a team and stepped it up,” Ledden said. “We had a lot of fight.”

Coach Jackson said the production was a good sign going into Friday’s elimination game.

“Anytime we can get production from other kids like that, it brings (the defense) off Whitney and Kendra a little bit,” Jackson said.

The second year coach also praised the defense that kept Hardin Valley out of the paint.

“Caelyn (Thompson) and Taniya (Smith) played great defense on the point guard,” Jackson said. “Brook (Anderson) was so physical inside on (post player Kayla) Carey. Taylor (Howe) and Caitlyn played great help defense.”

Brook Anderson, a freshman, held the Lady Hawks Carey to just three points in the first half. Carey would finish with 13 but scored 30 this season against Oak Ridge in their first meeting.

Though it isn’t ideal to get behind, the double-digit deficit is the second one for the Lady ‘Cats this season. The Oak Ridge girls had the largest comeback in school history, 20 points, against Anderson County on Nov. 27.

“It gives us a little motivation and gets us going a little bit,” Jackson said. “When a team gets up on us it kinda gives us a little bit of, ‘We gotta get going now.’

“Except for the loss against Anderson County (on Saturday in the 3-AAA semifinals), we seem to be playing with a new purpose and a new focus. I really think if we can get going and keep this focus, we can really do some damage against anybody in the region.”

Oak Ridge has already played Bearden this season. The Lady ‘Cats and the Lady Bulldogs tangled in the Mountain View Inn Thanksgiving Tournament at Bradley Central on Nov. 24. Bearden won 52-45 but Oak Ridge had just six players due to sickness.

Bearden lost to Farragut in the District 4-AAA tournament with just eight players due to injuries.